Press Release
March 11, 2024
Chronicle of the Dog awarded Maxwell Medallion by Dog Writers Association of America
| The Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) is pleased to announce its quarterly membership magazine, Chronicle of the Dog, has won the category Annual, Special Interest, or Any Other Subject (magazine) through the Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) annual writing competition for 2023. COTD will receive its Maxwell Medallion for its variety of stories on training, business, health, and nutrition, as well as many other features in its SPRING 2023 issue. DWAA is the most recognized professional writing association devoted to dogs, created Feb.13, 1935, at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. |
| This is the sixth year where Chronicle of the Dog has been recognized as the winner in its nominated class: 2017 COTD won Best Club Publication, and then received the top honor for 2018, 2019, 2020, the COVID-combined years of 2021-2022, and now 2023 in its current category of Special Interest magazine. The Chronicle of the Dog is edited by Devon Hubbard Sorlie and designed by Chris Guzicki. “I’m thrilled the Chronicle of the Dog has been honored with a Maxwell Medallion,” said Devon Hubbard Sorlie, COTD’s editor. “We couldn’t do that without our devoted authors and columnists who give of their time and talents to share information, training tips, scientific research, and business advice to our readers. Our writers all share in the medallions COTD has received over the years, as they all contribute to making our magazine a winner.” Chris Guzicki, as the publication’s designer, also plays a large part in taking the raw copy and photos and turning it into an award-winning magazine. “It’s teamwork, from the writing down to the designing of the magazine,” Devon added. |
 One of COTD’s authors also received recognition during this competition. In the Behavior/Training magazine category, Melissa McMath Hatfield was nominated for “The Non-Compliant Client” (WINTER 2022) about dealing with clients who disregard training advice. |
| APDT member and recent conference speaker Risë VanFleet, Ph.D., won the Manette Begin-Loudon Memorial Award for “Animals Are So Easily Misunderstood: The Importance of Empathic Understanding.” The award is presented to the writer/producer of a work that promotes awareness of the challenges faced by those who advocate for dogs, encompassing, but not limited to, topics centered on Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), Dog Fighting Rings and breed discrimination in general. The award consists of a $300 grant. Dr. VanFleet’s work “Professional Decision Making in Animal Assisted Play Therapy: How the Goodness-of-Fit Model Impacts Practice” was nominated in two other categories: Online Article/Blog Entry – Any Other Topic and the National Dog Show Presented by Purina Excellence in Writing/Producing Award, which is presented to the article or production in any media that best captures the essence of the human-animal bond in the context of therapy dog visitation at schools, healthcare institutions, weather/tragedy locations or other relevant venues where a need for comfort or anxiety relief is serviced by certified/registered therapy dogs dispatched by a verified organization. The award consists of a $500 cash grant to the individual to be used as an incentive to further pursue the topic going forward. Another APDT member and recent conference speaker, Sassafras Lowrey, was a nominee in the Books: Children Young Readers (Ages 9-to-12) category for her book “Jillian at the Junior Showcase.” If you subscribe to the digital version of COTD, you can view this award-winning issue, along with many other archived issues, in your APDT member dashboard. Not receiving Chronicle of the Dog? COTD Subscriptions are available to APDT members via print and digital options. It is one of many APDT membership benefits! Join APDT today to get your copy of Chronicle of the Dog. |